Tuesday, September 22, 2009

It List: Tuesday

Creed (Superpages Center): I hate the fact that Creed is such an easy target, a punchline band even for people with poor taste to make fun of. Just remember, Radiohead, The Arcade Fire, and Iron & Wine are like Creed to some people. I don't know who, but I just thought I'd mention it. By the way, Pitchfork covering the "Decade in Indie" is kind of like Sean Hannity reporting on Townhall crashers and shit, isn't it?

Greg Ginn & The Taylor Texas Corrugators/Jambang/Zanzibar Snails (Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio): I'm not going to attempt to breakdown Ginn's career by explaining that playing in a Texas-themed jam-band is actually the most unexpected and punk thing that he could have done, but I will say this: Greg Ginn has always done exactly what he wants to do, he always will, and if you think you're that free, you're probably lying to yourself. He pretty much invented hardcore, and decades later, it seems he could care less. Though that may be a depressing thought to some, I've always admired people that could do something completely revolutionary and shrug it off eventually, even if I don't necessarily consider myself a big fan of their current work.

Who could blame someone for shunning something with so much attached cultural hubris? That's a common thread running through the various bios of pioneers in just about every art movement going back to the first time anyone cared to ask. Some people feel that running in place is the most profound statement they can make, and others feel that you must forever radically shape-shift in order to evolve as an artist. For better or worse, Ginn evolved, even while still playing in Black Flag, which has been well-documented. Interestingly, he recently performed with The Dirty Projectors, just another in a long line of artists who have interpreted his work, however this popular, modern, indie rock group somehow managed to be christened with the distinction of winning the fleeting and mysterious stamp-of-approval from the man himself. It's worth mentioning that most people try really hard, create total garbage, and then spend the rest of their lives bragging about the one thing they did that was never good in the first place. You could never accuse Greg Ginn of anything like that.

Telefon Tel Aviv/The Race/Ishi DJ Set (The Cavern): None other than Stoned Ranger(!) told me today that Telefon Tel Aviv's latest analog-only record was pretty good, and I should go back and see if I can notice much of a difference when they changed their approach towards both synth and recording technology. The duo was also involved in some sample work for Berlin/Los Angeles-based electronic software maker, Native Instruments; I'm assuming before the tragic and untimely death of founding member, Charles Cooper.

On a lighter note, I met some employees of Native Instruments in Germany this past summer, and after some extensive discussions regarding their work, came to the conclusion that they are the happiest workers on earth.